death, nor yet the place; which was not to be in Galilee, where his jurisdiction lay, but in Jerusalem, which was then in the power of Pilate the Roman governor. And when Pilate himself did afterwards insolently brag, that he "had" power to crucify him, and had power to release him;" he returned him this answer again: "Thou couldst have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above." Which St. Augustine compareth with that other saying of the apostle: "There is no power but of God:" and out of both deduceth this conclusion: "AP

man may have lust to hurt of his own: but power, if God do not give it, he hath none. For that there is no power but of God, is the definitive sentence of the apostle. He did not say, There is no lust but of God; for there is an evil lust which is not of God: but because that evil lust can hurt no man if he do not permit, he saith: There is no power but of God. Whereupon God made man, standing before a man, said: Thou couldst have no power against me, except it were given thee from above. The one did judge, the other did teach. When he was judged he did teach: that he might judge those whom he did teach. Thou couldst have no power, saith he, against me, except it were given thee from above. What is this? Hath a man only no power, unless he receive it from above? What hath the Devil himself? Durst he take away as much as one sheep from the holy man Job, before he had first said: Put forth thine hand,

Rom. chap. 13. ver. 1.

"John, chap. 19. ver. 10, 11. "Cupiditatem nocendi potest homo habere propriam: potestatem autem, si ille non dat, non habet. Non est enim potestas nisi a Deo : definita sententia apostoli est. Non dixit, Non est cupiditas nisi a Deo; est enim mala cupiditas, quæ non est a Deo: sed quia ipsa mala cupiditas nulli nocet, fi ille non permittat, Non est, inquit, potestas nisi a Deo. Unde Deus homo stans ante hominem, Non haberes, inquit, in me potestatem, nisi data fuisset tibi desuper. Iste judicabat, ille docebat. Cum judicabatur docebat, ut judicaret quos docuerat. Non haberes, inquit, in me potestatem, nisi esset data tibi desuper. Quid est hoc? Homo tantum non habet potestatem, nisi cum acceperit desuper? Quid ipse Diabolus? Ausus est vel unam oviculam tollere viro sancto Job, nisi prius diceret, Mitte manum tuam, hoc est, da potestatem? Ille volebat, sed ille non sinebat. Quando ille permisit, ille potuit. Non ergo ille potuit, sed qui permisit." Augustin. in Psal. 32. Conc. 2.

that is, give me power? He had a will to do it, but God did not suffer him. When he did suffer him, the other was able to do it. It is not he therefore that was able, but he that permitted him, even God: from whom are all powers; howsoever all men's wills are not from him."

To the same purpose, the same father writeth very excellently in an other place: "Not whatsoever we do suffer from our enemies, is to be imputed to our enemies, and not to our Lord God: forasmuch as our Mediator, even in his own example, hath demonstrated unto us that, when he from above doth permit men to hurt us, not the will, but the power of hurting is given from above. For every evil man hath in himself the will to hurt: but to have ability to hurt, he hath not in his power. In that he hath the will, he is already guilty; but that he should have the ability, it is permitted by the hidden dispensation of God's providence, toward some for punishment, toward some for trial, toward some for the obtaining a crown. For punishment: as

q "A quo sunt omnes potestates, quamvis ab illo non sint omnium voluntates." Aug. de civit. Dei, lib. 5. cap. 8.

"Non quicquid passi ab inimicis fuerimus, hoc inimicis deputandum est, et non Domino Deo nostro. Quandoquidem in ipso suo exemplo Mediator demonstravit, quando nobis desuper permittit homines nocere, non voluntatem nocendi desuper dari, sed potestatem. Unusquisque enim malus apud se habet voluntatem nocendi: ut autem possit nocere, non habet in potestate. Ut velit, jam reus est: ut possit, occulta dispensatione providentiæ divinæ, in alium permittitur ad pœnam, in alium permittitur ad probationem, in alium permittitur ad coronam. Ad pœnam : quomodo permissi sunt ảMóøvXo, id est, alienigenæ, capere populum Israel, quia peccaverunt in Deum. Ad probationem autem permissus est Diabolus in Job: probatus est autem Job, confusus est Diabolus. Ad coronam vero permissi sunt persecutores in martyres. Occisi sunt martyres; quasi vicisse se arbitrati sunt persecutores: illi in manifesto falso triumphaverunt, illi in occulto vere coronati sunt. Ergo in quem permittitur, occulta dispensationis est providentiæ Dei; ut autem velit nocere ipsius hominis est: non enim continuo quem vult occidit. Itaque ipse Dominus, judex vivorum et mortuorum, stans ante hominem judicem (præbens nobis humilitatis exemplum et patientiæ documentum; non victus, sed militibus pugnandi exemplum demonstrans) minanti judici, tumenti superbia (et dicenti, Nescis quia potestatem habeo dimittendi et occidendi te?) abstulit typhum inflantis, et tanquam reddens exufflationem qua detumesceret, Non haberes, inquit, in me potestatem, nisi data tibi esset desuper." Augustin. præfat. in enarrat. 2. Psalmi 29. Vide etiam eund. ad Simplicianum, lib. 2. quæst. 1. cum Retractat. lib. 2. cap. 1.

the Philistines were permitted to subdue the people of Israel, because they had sinned against God. For trial, the devil was permitted to assault Job: but Job was tried, the devil confounded. For the winning of the crown, the persecutors were let loose against the martyrs. The martyrs were slain, the persecutors thought they had gotten the day: these did falsely triumph in public, the other were truly crowned in secret. Therefere, that he is permitted to deal against any, proceedeth from the hidden dispensation of God's providence; but that he hath a will to hurt, cometh from the man himself: for he cannot kill presently whomsoever he willeth. Whereupon the Lord himself, the judge of the quick and the dead, standing before a man that was his judge (delivering therein unto us an example of humility, and a document of patience; not being himself overcome, but shewing unto his soldiers a pattern of fighting) from that judge threatening and swelling with pride, (and saying, Knowest thou not that I have power to release thee, and to kill thee?) took away the tumour which blew him up, and giving it a puff as it were to make it grow down, Thou couldst, said he, have no power against me, except it were given thee from above."

Hereunto we may add likewise that place of Johannes Sarisburiensis: "Thats which the prince hath ability to do, is so from God, that the power doth not depart from the Lord but he useth it by an under-posed hand, shewing in all things a document either of his mercy or of his justice. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God, who hath the authority of conferring it, and, when he pleaseth, of taking away or diminishing it. For it is not in the power of a great man to exercise cruelty upon those that are under his government, when he listeth; but it is of God's own dispensa

"Quod princeps potest, ita a Deo est ut potestas a Domino non recedat: sed ea utitur per suppositam manum; in omnibus doctrinam faciens clementiæ aut justitiæ suæ. Qui ergo resistit potestati, Dei ordinationi resistit, penes quem est auctoritas conferendi eam, et, cum vult, auferendi et minuendi eam. Neque enim potentis est, cum vult, sævire in subditos; sed divinæ dispensationis, pro beneplacito suo punire vel exercere subjectos." Joh. Sarisburiens. Polycratic. lib. 4. cap. 1.

tion, to punish or exercise the subjects according to his good pleasure." Out of all which we may learn, that not only the ability which princes have of doing every particular thing in their government, but also the ordering the ends thereof, either to the good or evil of the party to whom it is done, dependeth altogether upon the pleasure of God, who oftentimes bringeth light out of darkness, and disposeth of events to far other purposes than we at first would have conceived them to tend unto. Which the very Heathen did partly take notice of, who said: "The1 condition of mortal men hath these kinds of vicissitudes, that adverse things do arise out of prosperous, and prosperous out of adverse. God doth hide the seeds of both; and the causes of our good and evil accidents do oftentimes lurk under a far different show." "The Lord knoweth," saith St. Peter, "how" to deliver the godly out of temptations; and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished." And although "the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God:" yet doth God so order the matter, that “The wrath of man shall praise him, and the remainder of wrath shall be restrained by him." Whereupon St. Augustine when he had declared, that "The power even of hurtful kings is from none but God;" for the justifying of his proceeding therein he addeth, that "It is not unjust that naughty men receiving power to hurt, both the patience of the good should be tried, and the iniquity of the wicked persecutors should be punished." For, as he elsewhere also noteth: "When emperors do make evil

"Habet has vices conditio mortalium, ut adversa ex secundis, ex adversis secunda nascantur. Occultat utrorumque semina Deus; et plerumque bonorum malorumque causæ sub diversa specie latent." Plin. Panegyr. ad Trajan. u 2 Peter, chap. 2. ver. 9. James, chap. 1. ver. 20. Psalm 76. ver. 10.

"Etiam nocentium potestas non est nisi a Deo: sicut scriptum est, loquente sapientia: Per me reges regnant, et tyranni per me tenent terram, &c. Injustum enim non est ut improbis accipientibus nocendi potestatem, et bonorum patientia probetur, et malorum iniquitas puniatur." Aug. lib. de natura boni, adversus Manich. cap. 32.

Imperatores quando pro falsitate contra veritatem constituunt malas leges, probantur bene credentes, et coronantur perseverantes." Aug. lib. de nat. hom.

laws for falsehood and against the truth, the right believers are tried, and such as persevere are crowned." And again: "The terror of the temporal powers, when it doth oppose the truth, is to the just and strong a glorious trial, but to the weak a dangerous temptation: but when it proposeth the truth to such as err, and are at discord; to men of understanding it proveth a profitable admonition, and to such as are not sensible thereof an unprofitable affliction. And yet there is no power but of God; and he that resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: for rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise for the same. For whether power favouring the truth, doth correct any man, he that is amended hath praise thereby; or being enemy to the truth, doth use cruelty against any, he that receiveth the crown for obtaining the victory hath praise for the same." And therefore, saith he: "If thy governor be good, he is thy nourisher: if he be evil, he is thy tempter. Receive thy nourishment willingly, and approve thyself in temptation. Be thou gold: consider this world as the furnace of the workman. In one narrow

advers. Manich. epist. 185. "Imperatores si in errore essent, pro errore suo contra veritatem leges darent, per quas justi et probarentur et coronarentur, non faciendo quod illi juberent, quia Deus prohiberet." Augustin. epist. 105.

b"Terror temporalium potestatum, quando veritatem oppugnat, justis fortibus gloriosa probatio est, infirmis periculosa tentatio: quando autem veritatem prædicat errantibus et discordantibus; cordatis utilis admonitio est, et insensatis inutilis afflictio. Non est tamen potestas nisi a Deo : qui autem resistit potestati, Dei ordinationi resistit; principes enim non sunt timori bono operi, sed malo. Vis autem non timere potestatem? bonum fac, et habebis laudem ex illa. Sive enim potestas veritati favens aliquem corrigat, laudem habet ex illa qui fuerit emendatus; sive inimica veritati in aliquem sæviat, laudem habet ex illa qui victor fuerit coronatus." Aug. lib. de natur. hom. advers. Manich. epist. 93. "Non ait, Bonum fac, et habebis laudem ex illa, vel cum eam in obsequium Dei lucratus fueris, vel cum ejus persecutione coronam merueris." Aug. in exposit. quarund. proposit. ex epist. ad Roman.

"Bonus si fuerit qui tibi præest, nutritor tuus est; malus si fuerit, tentator tuus est. Et nutrimenta libenter accipe, et in tentatione approbare. Esto aurum attende mundum istum tanquam fornacem artificis. In uno angusto loco tria sunt; aurum, palea, ignis. Ad illa duo ignis apponitur: palea uritur, aurum purgatur." Aug. de verbis Domini, serm. 6.